Our Prices

 

Our pricing for bringing or defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal

Our prices vary according to the complexity of the case and the length of time spent at trial. The below pricing details outline the likely costs for three levels of complexity - Simple, Medium and High complexity.   

Simple case:

This a case involving 1 issue based on capability or redundancy and only a few witnesses. This takes no more than two days.

Our price:

£8000-12,000 to Trial, depending on the exact complexity, excluding VAT and disbursements (see below).

Medium complexity case:

This is a case where the dismissal is based on “any other substantial reason”, or automatically unfair grounds such as “whistleblowing “other than capability or redundancy, including a ground based on a breach of the Equality Act 2010  but which does not have separate claims for  discrimination, harassment, victimisation, contractual breach,  and similar claims giving rise to damages for injury to feelings  and /or contractual damages. And which has a trial hearing of less than 4 days.

Our price:

£12,000-£25,000 depending on the exact complexity and length of the case, excluding VAT and disbursements (see below).

High complexity case:

This includes a  claim for unfair dismissal which has additional claims for discrimination , harassment and victimisation  under the Equality Act 2010,or contractual, or other claims giving rise  to contractual damages and /injury to feeling with a trial hearing  of more than 4 days.

Our price: 

£25,000 to -£45,000 depending on the exact complexity and length of the case, excluding VAT and disbursements (see below), or a complex claim for constructive dismissal.

Factors that could make a case more complex include:

  • If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim
  • Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person
  • Making or defending a costs application
  • Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
  • The number of witnesses and documents
  • If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
  • Allegations of discrimination, victimisation and harassment,  which are linked to the dismissal
  • Contractual claims in addition to any combination of other claims.

There will be an additional charge for attending a Tribunal Hearing which exceeds four  days of £550-£900 per day (excluding VAT). Generally, we would allow between 4-8 days depending on the complexity of your

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Counsel's fees have to be negotiated and we cannot give a fixed estimate for these.  Normally, they are calculated according to the charge-out rate and seniority of counsel. For a middle range junior counsel, fees would be estimated between £2,500 to £4,500 as the brief fee (excluding vat and travel cost), plus a half of that figure for every day of trial.

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

  • Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change). It will include all necessary client care work advice.
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached, together with all ongoing negotiation undertaken throughout the case;
  • All, correspondence with the court, relevant parties, witnesses and those instructed by ourselves to take steps in the proceedings
  • Preparing claim or response
  • Reviewing and advising on claim or response from other party
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
  • Preparing or considering a schedule of loss
  • Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing
  • Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents
  • Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
  • Preparing bundle of documents
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party's witness statements
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list
  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

How long will my matter take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take no longer than 12-16 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take between 9 to 12 months up to the final hearing weeks. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

Who will deal with my matter?

All employment tribunal matters will be dealt with by employment law partner Paul Stevens and his support team. To read Paul's full profile please click here.

 

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